Relationships between the effects of redox potential, alpha-thenoyltrifluoroacetone and malonate on O(2) and H2O2 generation by submitochondrial particles in the presence of succinate and antimycin.

The rate of the antimycin-induced H2O2 and O(2) generation in beef heart submitochondrial particles is maximal at the [succinate]/[fumarate] ratio of approximately 1:5 and decays at both higher and lower redox potentials. Succinate dehydrogenase inhibitors, such as TTFA or malonate, stimulate active oxygen production in the presence of excess succinate but are inhibitory at Eh values more positive than the optimal. The modulation of O(2) and H2O2 generation by these inhibitors can be explained by their effects on the steady-state redox potential(s) of the component(s) of mitochondrial site 2.